One person is dead and tens of thousands without power after Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall over Mississippi

A composite image showing flooding in Alabama and the air conditions from Tropical Storm Gordon.
Reed Timmer/Twitter/Earth.Nullschool.net/INSIDER

Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall around the Alabama-Mississippi border on Tuesday night.

The National Weather Service is warning of life-threatening conditions amid high winds and rising water levels.

Earlier in the storm's path a child became the storm's first victim when a tree fell on a mobile home in Florida, according to local officials.

Tens of thousands of people are without power along the Gulf Coast.

Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall over the Alabama-Mississippi border on Tuesday night after claiming its first victim, a child who was crushed by a falling tree.

The storm crossed from sea to land after dark, bringing strong winds and rain and leaving tens of thousands without power.

The child was killed earlier in the storm's path, in Escambia County, on Florida's border with Alabama. According to the local sheriff's office the tree fell on a mobile home.

The storm is expected to bring four to eight inches of rain along the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama and the Florida panhandle. Some areas could receive 12 inches of rain on Thursday, causing flash flooding, the National Weather Service warned.

This is what it looked like as the storm's center approached land at 9 p.m. local time on Tuesday.

Storm surge warnings and tropical storm warnings are in effect across many coastal locations. A storm surge warning means there is a danger of life-threatening conditions from water moving inland.

"This is a life-threatening situation," the National Weather Service warned. "Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions." The water could rise as much as four feet (1.2 meters).

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning areas.

The storm is bringing maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85mph).

More than 27,000 homes and businesses were without power on Tuesday night, the Associated Press reported.

Dr Rick Knabb, a hurricane expert for the National Weather Channel, warned of "life-threatening winds" and flooding.

Gordon was previously expected to intensify into a category-1 hurricane, but it has instead remained a tropical storm.